Scott Spann
Encyclopedia
Career
At the 2008 US Olympic trials, Spann won the 200m breaststroke in 2:09.97, earning a spot on the US Olympic Team roster. Spann also placed third in the 100m breaststroke at trials in 1:00.59.At the 2008 Summer Olympics
2008 Summer Olympics
The 2008 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIX Olympiad, was a major international multi-sport event that took place in Beijing, China, from August 8 to August 24, 2008. A total of 11,028 athletes from 204 National Olympic Committees competed in 28 sports and 302 events...
in Beijing
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
, Spann placed sixth overall in the 200m breaststroke in 2:09.76.
In September 2008, following the Olympics, Spann had surgery to remove a piece of bone that had broken off of his patella and embedded in his tendon
Tendon
A tendon is a tough band of fibrous connective tissue that usually connects muscle to bone and is capable of withstanding tension. Tendons are similar to ligaments and fasciae as they are all made of collagen except that ligaments join one bone to another bone, and fasciae connect muscles to other...
. Previously diagnosed as tendonitis
Tendonitis
Tendinitis , meaning inflammation of a tendon , is a type of tendinopathy often confused with the more common tendinosis, which has similar symptoms but requires different treatment...
, Spann believes he sustained the injury in late 2007 or early 2008 during dryland weight training. Spann swam in a tri-meet for Texas against Michigan
Michigan Wolverines
The Michigan Wolverines comprise 27 varsity sports teams at the University of Michigan. These teams compete in the NCAA's Division I and in the Big Ten Conference in all sports except men's ice hockey which competes in the NCAA D1 Central Collegiate Hockey Association, and women's water polo, which...
and Indiana
Indiana Hoosiers
The Indiana Hoosiers are the athletic teams for the Bloomington campus of Indiana University . Athletic teams sponsored by IU Bloomington include cross country, track, baseball, golf, tennis, rowing, volleyball, soccer, football and basketball...
only a few weeks after surgery. A second surgery followed in November to remove the bursa sac, which had swelled because he began swimming too soon after the first surgery, and to reshape the tendon, which had been frayed by the patella. Spann then developed a staph infection from the surgical wounds. He needed three more surgeries to fight the infection. Spann missed the rest of the 2008–09 NCAA season, his first with Texas after transferring from Michigan.
With only 45 days to train, and time for preparation, he competed at the 2009 USA Nationals and World Championships Trials. Spann placed fourth in both the 100m and 200m breaststrokes, narrowly missing the chance to compete at the World Championships in Rome, Italy.
Spann competed for Michigan from 2006–2008. While swimming for Michigan, Spann placed second in the 200y breaststroke and fourth in the 100y breaststroke at the 2008 NCAA Championships. Spann transferred to Texas in 2008, after his sophomore year. In his junior year at Texas, Spann placed 2nd in both the 100y and 200y breaststrokes at the 2010 NCAA Championships. He helped lead the Longhorns to a first place finish at the NCAA National Championship. Spann was elected to be one of three captains (along side Jim Robertson and Bryan Collins) for the 2010-11 Texas Swimming and Diving team, placing runner-up at the NCAA National Championships.
Spann broke school records at two of the top swimming schools in the nation. At the University of Michigan, Spann broke the 100y breaststroke, 200y breaststroke, 200y medley relay and the 400y medley relay. At the University of Texas, Spann broke the 200y breaststroke team record previously held by Olympic gold medalist and World Record holder Brendan Hansen.
Personal
Spann's father, Scott Spann, Sr., is a six-time US swimming champion and won the bronze medal in the 200m individual medley at the 1979 Pan American Games1979 Pan American Games
The 8th Pan American Games were held in San Juan, Puerto Rico, from July 1 to July 15, 1979. The capital of Puerto Rico played host to 3,700 athletes from 34 countries competing in 22 sports, making the VIII Pan American Games the largest to date. Security was a concern due to turmoil over the...
. His sister, Alexi Spann
Alexi Spann
Alexandra Spann is a female breaststroke swimmer from the United States, who won the gold medal in the women's 200m breaststroke event at the 2003 Pan American Games.Spann is a native of Austin, Texas...
, was the 200m breaststroke champion at the 2003 Pan American Games
Swimming at the 2003 Pan American Games
The Swimming Competition at the 2003 Pan American Games took place in the outdoor swimming pool at the side of the Juan Pablo Duarte Olympic Center in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic...
.